Fire extinguisher



June 24, 1924. I

T. w; M NAMEE FIRE EX TINGUISHER Fil'ed June 5, I922 //l I /l/ Tole I T/iomaes' mfl amee,

Patented June 24, 1924.

1,499,231; UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. MCNAIVIEE, OF WABASH, INDIANA.

, J: FIB/E EXTINGUISHER.

Application filed June 5.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS WV. MONA- MEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wabash, in the county of Wabash and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device whereby the ordinary portable fire extinguishers, which are usually held in an inverted position by means of hooks attached to the walls of factories, oifice and like buildings, can be automatically brought into operation if a fire starts when persons are absent.

One of the objects of the invention consists in the provision of means whereby the ordinary portable fire extinguisher can be rendered automatic, thereby extending its field of use to those buildings where the cost of installing and maintaining a permanent automatic sprinkling system would be pro hibitive.

A further object of the invention consists in the provision of a basket or carrier for holding an ordinary portable fire extinguisher in position to be automatically released and brought into automatic operation when the heat has reached a predetermined temperature, which carrier is simple in construction and efficient in operation.

I accomplish the above objects of the invention, and such others as may appear from a perusal of the following description and claims, by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which-- Figure 1 is a side view of my improved carrier, showing a portable fire extinguisher held in normal position and ready for automatic use. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the clamping band, in which the remaining arts are omitted. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary etail view, on an enlarged scale, showing more clearly the construction of the fusible connection formed between the fire extinguisher and the supporting hook.

Referring to the drawings, I have illus trated a conventional type of portable fire extinguisher which comprises, generally, a hollow cylinder 10 which is permanently closed at one end by a bottomll. The other end of the cylinder is provided with a threaded opening through which the chemicals, or other fire extinguishing medium, is intro- 1922. Serial No. 565,982.

duced into the hollow portion of the cylinder, this threaded opening being sealed by means of a hand-actuated threaded plug 12, in the usual manner. The chemical, or other fire extinguishing medium, is usually ejected through a flexible hose, but in the present case I have substituted for the flexible hose a metal pipe 14 having a distributing nozzle 15 attached to its free end. To maintain cylinder 10 in normal position, and thereby prevent premature mixing of the chemicals, or other fire extinguishing medium, I provide a point of attachment by passing a clamping band .circumferentially around cylinder 10. This band, for convenience,*is

formed of two sections 16 and 17, and the ends of these band-sectionsare secured (together by suitable clamping-bolts 18, whereby the band-s'ections maybe tightly impinged against the external wall of cylinder10. Each section 16 and 17 of the band is providedwith a fixed trunnion'lfi and 17, respectively, and the diameter of these trunnions is reduced to form shoulders 16 and 17 to form stops for limiting the inward movement of the eye-ends 19 formed on the free ends of a supporting bail 20. After the eye-ends of bail 20 are placed on trunnions 16 and 17 I add the washers 21 which form an outer contact for the eye-ends 19 of bail 20, the free ends of the bail being held against accidental displacement from the trunnions by means of cotter-pins 22 which pass transversely through the trunnions 16 and 17 The upper and closed end of the U-shaped bail 20 is passed over a hook 25', or other permanently fixed support. To hold cylinder 10 in normal upright position when out of use, 1 form a connection between the upper end of cylinder 10 and the hook 25, or other stationary support, which supports bail 20. This connection is preferably formed of a pair of attached fusible plates 26 and 27, and-a separation between these plates is efi'ected when the heat attains a predetermined temperature to bring about a fusing or breaking down of the material forming said plates. When a separation between plates 26 and 27 takes place cylinder 10 will be automatically upset on its trunnion bearings, the plugged end of the cylinder moving to the bottom, as shown by means of dotted lines in Fig. 1, byreason of the connection between ball 20 and trunnions being located below the center of gravity of cylinder 10. When cylinder 10 changes its positionthe fire extinguishing medium is broughttogetherand a chemical action set By means of the foregoing description it Will be observed that by the use of my invention the ordinary portable fire extinguish ers are susceptible of being brought into automatic operation should a fire start when persons are absent, which Will permit their installation in those buildings Where the standard sprinkling system Would be too 'expensive.

Having thus fully described my said invention, ivhat I-desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1'. The combination With the body of a portable fire extinguisher having a hand-ac-' tuated plug, of clamping means engaging the body below its center of gravity, a bail pivoted to the clamping means, a fusible connection having one end secured to the said plug, the'b'ail and other end of the connection being adapted to engagea common hook to hold the extinguisher in tilted position, and a rigid pipe extending from a part of the extinguisher adjacent the hand plug to the opposite end whereby the discharge nozzle of the extinguisher Will be substantially vertical When'in operative position, substantially as set forth. V

2. The combination with the body of a portable fire extinguisher having a hand-ad tuated plug, of clamping means engaging the body below its center of gravity, a bail pivoted to the clamping means, a fusible connection having one end secured to the said plug, the bail and other end of the connection being adapted to engage a common hook to hold the extinguisher in tilted position, and a rigid pipe extending from one endof the extinguisher around to the center of the opposite end and in alinement with the axis of the body, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination With a portable fire extinguisher comprising a cylindrical container, of clamping means engaging the container below its center of gravity, a bail pivoted to the clamping means, a fusible connection having one end secured to said container, the bail and other end of the connection being adapted to be supported on a common hookto hold the container in a tilted position, said container having a rigid pipe extending from one end around its other end and having a portion of said pipe at its free end in axial alinement with said container. V

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Wabash, Indiana, this 31st day of May, A. 1),, one thousand nine hundred andtvventy tWo.

' THOMAS W. MONAMEE. [n s] I 

